New York Judge Released on $50k Bail in False Statements Charge

Lurlyn Winchester, a municipal judge out of Orange County, New York, has been released on $50,000 bail following charges involving making false statements and obstruction of justice. The arrest relates to false statements Winchester allegedly made in a residential loan application for a condominium in Monroe, New York. She was charged at the White Plains federal court earlier this week. According to William F. Sweeney Jr, the judge falsified documents stating that she met residency requirements on the loan application. Sweeney is the head of the New York FBI office. Authorities believe that Winchester produced an elaborate scheme to conceal the fact that she resided in Rockland County, not Monroe. She allegedly gave a phony lease agreement and rent checks to the bank to try and show that they were renting out their home in Rockland. Winchester wanted to purchase a condo in Monroe to meet the residency requirements of being a town judge.

Winchester was virtually unknown in Monroe but was elected by a dedicated voter bloc. It was clear at that time that she had a residency issue. She had been claiming her sister’s address prior to the election. The judge is currently released on bail while the criminal case against her proceeds.